There is a story about a man who calls a good friend to talk about his problems. After talking at length about his complaints, he stops and asks his friend, “Are you still listening to me? You haven’t said a word.” His friend says, “I’m trying not to. If you keep going, I might start […]
As young school children, we are taught to ask the teacher for support and receive feedback to help us learn. That feedback was often in the form of a grade that we interpreted as either good or bad. As adults, giving feedback to one another can evoke a strong defensive reaction. We know this defensive […]
When your car is low on gas, you don’t beat on its dashboard and tell it to keep going. You acknowledge it is low on fuel and fill its gas tank (or for an electric car, you recharge it). You don’t call your cell phone selfish for having little juice left in its battery. Instead, […]
Have you ever wondered about the origins of the saying “waiting for the other shoe to drop?” It began in the early 1900’s with poorly constructed buildings in the U.S. that had very thin floors and walls. At night, tenants would often hear their neighbors above them getting ready for bed. Part of the nighttime […]
The simple act of asking for support or help can become a huge issue for anyone stuck in the Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT). As recovering Rescuers, we (David & Donna) have both struggled with asking for help at times. When we are stuck in the Rescuer role, we believe our job is to help others […]